Penniless and Secretly Pregnant
Page 19
‘I have your attention?’ he asked after she’d spent a couple of minutes scrolling through the information on him.
When her bright blue eyes met his again there was a dazed sheen in them. She blinked the sheen away and nodded.
Of course he had her attention now that she was aware of his wealth and power. No doubt that clever, if suspicious, brain was already imagining the boost being photographed on his arm would give her career.
‘Good. Now sit down and let us finish this discussion.’
Phone clutched in her hand, she obeyed.
Assured he had her full attention, he rested his elbows on his thighs. ‘Listen carefully. The weekend after next, Celeste—my mother—is hosting her annual summer party. Hundreds of the world’s richest and most important people attend but immediate family visit for the whole weekend. You and I will arrive there on the Friday and then leave and go our separate ways on the Sunday. We will need to go on a few public dates, and I will require you to be available for the whole of next week. That will give us the time we need to be seen together and get to know each other well enough to make our story believable and for me to fill you in on everything I require.’
‘What else do you require of me other than to act as if I’m madly in love with you?’
‘That is something I will divulge when we have made an agreement.’
Her eyes narrowed with fresh suspicion. ‘Would the role involve doing anything illegal?’
And now they came to the extra ‘something’ he required of the actress he’d selected for the role.
‘Nothing illegal but your criminal record proves you have the lack of scruples I require.’
Her face drained of colour so quickly it was like someone had pulled a plug on her blood.
‘How do you know about that?’ she croaked.
‘Your criminal record?’
Her head barely moved in a nod.
‘I have the means to discover anything.’
Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened then closed but no sound came out.
‘Your secret is safe with me, Miss Caldwell,’ he assured her. Damián cared nothing for her past, other than what it made her as a person. For this role, he needed someone with a distinct lack of morals.
She gave no response, sat staring at him as if a ghost had suddenly appeared before her.
With a sharp tut, he reiterated all she stood to gain by taking the role. ‘Celeste’s party is a high society event. The press swarm all over it. Being photographed on my arm is guaranteed to raise your profile. The money I’m prepared to pay you is far more than you would get for selling any story about me but, as I’m sure you’ll understand, I’ve had a non-disclosure agreement prepared along with the contract of terms for your services. My family business depends on secrecy. Our discretion is what sets us apart from other financial institutions. You will be privy to information the press would pay a fortune to hear.’
Still she gave no response. He didn’t think she’d blinked once since he’d mentioned her criminal record. Irritated, aware of time pressing, he tapped the table. ‘All the cards are on the table, so are you with me or not? I’m afraid I require an immediate answer. If the answer is no then leave and that will be the end of the matter. I haven’t revealed any sensitive information to you and I have no wish to ruin you through petty spite.’
It was Damián’s last ten words that pulled Mia out of the heated fog she’d fallen into. Everything else he’d said from the moment he’d revealed he knew of her criminal conviction had been white noise in her head. His mouth had moved but the whooshing in her ears had deafened her to the words.
Her belly churned, her brain awhirl, consequences flashing before her eyes.
‘I have no wish to ruin you with petty spite...’ Dear God, he was threatening her.
She wanted to cover her ears and squeeze her eyes shut and then wake up far from this nightmare she’d unwittingly walked into.
Don’t panic. Stay calm. Don’t panic.
Don’t panic? This man couldn’t ruin her. The acting world wouldn’t care about her past; she would escape professionally unscathed, but emotionally... Any attempt to ruin her could easily destroy the two people she loved most in the world. Ghosts from the past would be resurrected. Everything she’d tried to protect her family from could blow up all over again.
She should have listened to her instincts and walked away when she had the chance but she’d foolishly searched Damián’s name and what she’d found had blown her away. The man made Croesus look poor. Curiosity at why a man like Damián Delgado would want to pay her a ton of money to pretend to be his girlfriend had been the reason she’d sat back down to listen. Stupid, foolish curiosity.
She’d listened to him explain how the weekend with his family would unfold, all the while intending to make her excuses and leave when he’d finished.
Mia wasn’t an actress for the fame or the money and never had been. This was not the kind of career boost she needed and definitely not the boost she wanted. She didn’t want the spotlight. The consequences were just too big for her to risk: the main reason she plied her trade in provincial theatres rather than seeking bigger stages. But the theatre was her love. She’d found it when her world had caved in and it had saved her from her grief. On the stage she’d found a new home. Acting was all she knew how to do. All she hoped was to one day make a regular income from it.
The chance to walk away from Damián Delgado had gone and she hadn’t even known it. This gorgeous man she’d been in danger of swooning over...
‘When do you need an answer?’ she asked, desperately trying to buy herself time: time to think, to plan, to escape...
‘I need an answer now, Miss Caldwell. Our contract and non-disclosure agreement are ready for signing. Sign or leave. Embrace a better future for yourself or continue to sink into nothing.’
His obsidian eyes held hers, his handsome face a tightly controlled mask.
How could anyone be so emotionless while making such threats?
Thirty minutes ago, Damián Delgado’s name had meant nothing to her. She’d walked into this building unaware she was about to be propositioned by one of the world’s richest and most powerful men. He must have gone to enormous lengths to discover her conviction. She’d still been a minor during the court case, her name forbidden by law from being published.
His eyes dipped to his watch and then back to her again. ‘Time is ticking, Miss Caldwell. Give me your answer or...’
‘Okay, okay, I’ll sign it,’ she said in a panicked flurry. If the only way to guarantee his silence was to agree to his proposition then she had to take it. And then pray the spotlight didn’t find her and that all the ghosts from her past stayed where they belonged. She didn’t want to think of the repercussions if they didn’t.
Copyright © 2020 by Michelle Smart
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ISBN-13: 9781488068652
Penniless and Secretly Pregnant
Copyright © 2020 by Jennie Lucas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and rev
iews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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